Impact Auto Auctions buyers can now view their available AFC credit in real time and floorplan their purchases upon checkout — allowing customers to buy and transport the same day, saving time and potential storage costs.

"Our Canadian customers have asked for more convenience, and we have answered their request with a fully integrated and streamlined purchasing process,” said Blair Earle, managing director for Impact Auto Auctions."

Providing customers with instant access to floorplan financing and giving them immediate snapshots of their available credit helps our customers make quicker buying decisions — generating additional buying opportunity and helping them successfully operate and grow their business.”

Impact Auto Auctions is a leading Canadian salvage auto auction with a large facility footprint, serving the automotive total-loss industry with more than 14 corporate-owned facilities across Canada. Impact Auto Auctions provides a marketplace for the sale and purchase of high-mileage, aged or damaged insurance, rental, fleet, lease, finance and manufacturer vehicles.

AFC provides financial and business solutions to independent automotive dealers from more than 100 branch locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

AFC financing is available to Impact Auto Auctions customers on their desktop, tablet or smartphone. Dealers can visit for more information.

If your auction or auction group would like to participate, submit photos via email to senior editor Joe Overby at [email protected] no later than close of business on Monday, Nov. 19.

If you are sending large or multiple pictures, a zip file or using a site like Dropbox might be a better option.

These photos can run the gamut: We want to see everything from the daily business operations and sales days to the life and fun that occurs at your auction (for example: cookouts, special events, holiday parties, team-building activities, etc.).

They will need to be in high-resolution, JPG format.

Please send captions, if they are available, as well. And while we strongly encourage these photo submissions, we cannot guarantee we will be able to print every photo.

It’s not just Hulu, Amazon and Netflix that are joining TV networks to get in on original programming. So, too, is the car business — more specifically, autoTRADER.ca.

The online marketplace, which is part of the TRADER Corp. family, has launched “Ungaraging,” a series that spotlights professional athletes and their garages.

The first episode will feature Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, with Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins starting in the second one.

This is the latest in a line of lifestyle and entertainment content that autoTRADER.ca has added to its news and features section.

“With Ungaraging we wanted to create something original that not only offers a glimpse into the vehicles players drive, but also offers a behind the scenes look at the lives and memories that come along with growing up in and around their garage – something quintessentially Canadian," says Kevin Cheng, director of SEO and content at autoTRADER.ca.

“While cars and unique vehicles play a strong role in our series, these stories speak even more broadly to what it means to be growing up chasing a dream — something we can all relate to,” Cheng added.

The first episode is available at . The second episode will be available soon.

A wide array of KAR Auction Services companies and employees are finding ways to show support for individuals and families impacted by the April 6 crash in Saskatchewan involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.

On Wednesday, TradeRev is hosting an online charity auction in which a 2014 Harley-Davidson FXDF Fat Bob will be on the block, and 100 percent of sale proceeds will go to the Humboldt Broncos GoFundMe campaign.

A note to AuSM Canada from KAR indicated that TradeRev will cover the shipping costs.

“It’s as easy as signing into TradeRev and looking for the trade hosted by TradeRev Motors,” a company spokesperson said about the event that begins at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Also, for the past couple of weeks, ADESA Canada employees have worn their hockey jerseys in support of the Humboldt community and raised money to support the Humboldt Broncos GoFundMe campaign.

All of the efforts have arrived because of the April 6 tragedy in which a bus carrying the hockey team and coaches was involved in a crash near Armley, Saskatchewan, killing 16 people and injuring another 13.

Cox Automotive Canada said Wednesday it has partnered with The Great Northern Auction and is launching Manheim Moncton to provide more remarketing service to the Atlantic Canada region.

The weekly Manheim Moncton sales begin March 21 and will be facilitated by TGNA, which is located in Moncton, New Brunswick.

The sales will also be broadcasted live on Simulcast via Manheim.ca, where grading and vehicle history reports can also be accessed. Sales will be each Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. (AST).

The overall wholesale vehicle market will be discussed in great detail at next month’s , where Cox Automotive Canada is a sponsor. for that conference ends today.

More on TGNA partnership

TGNA was started in 2011 and is Eastern Canada’s largest public auto auction, according to a news release on the partnership.

“Both Cox Automotive Canada and TGNA are continually working to offer a solution that helps dealers and commercial clients have the most success with their wholesale units,” TGNA chief financial officer and chief operating officer Mary Liptay said in a news release.

“Discussions about this partnership were initiated over a year ago, and we are very excited about it,” she said. “I feel this is a natural next move for us – part of a progression – and it’s exactly what we need to be doing to grow the company in this market.”

Mark Chatfield is the general manager at Manheim Halifax, and his team will help support the partnership.

“This is a great opportunity for Manheim and Cox Automotive Canada to grow our footprint in Atlantic Canada, but it’s especially exciting to be partnering with TGNA because they’re a company that embraces the same culture and family atmosphere that Cox is comprised of,” said Chatfield.

“I look forward to continued month-over-month growth in New Brunswick – and to strengthening the relationship between TGNA and Cox Automotive Canada,” he said.

The retention value of 4-year-old vehicles has reached an all-time high for the second year in a row, according to the 2018 edition of the Canadian Black Book Retained Value Awards released this week.

Four-year-old vehicles are retaining 53 percent of their original MSRP, Canadian Black Book said, beating the record level (51 percent) from 2017.

Overall brand winners include Toyota (for both the car and truck/crossover/SUV categories) and Porsche, which was tops in luxury.

Of note among the model winners is the Jeep Wrangler, whose 2014 edition retained 91 percent of MSRP, an all-time high by a wide margin. The Wrangler has won for eight straight years in a row.

These factors push retention levels

So what’s driving such high overall retention value of used cars?

“Good question. It’s a lot of things. It’s never just one factor,” CBB’s Brian Murphy said in a phone interview. “Generally speaking, the economy’s doing quite well so the demand for new cars and used cars is quite strong.”

Another driver is the volume of used vehicles being exported from Canada to the U.S., said Murphy, who is CBB’s vice president of research and editorial.

“There’s some additional profits to be made by buying a car that’s typically priced lower in Canada and then shipping it to the United States,” he said.

“Those two things are probably the main drivers, and then I think the third factor you can’t overlook is really that values have just been going up, up, up for the last eight years, so it’s really just sort of the trend, if you will,” Murphy said. “Back eight years ago was when things were in recovery mode from a rather rough patch of economic times.”

In fact, last month was the first January to show a month-over-month drop in CBB’s Used Vehicle Retention Index in nine years. And values were still up 3-percent year-over-year in January, which the company said was “not surprising given the overall strong values over the course (of) 2017.”

That speaks to Murphy’s insight on values consistently climbing.

Some scaling down expected

How long will the incline last, though? It may be that the industry is reaching a “turning point,” despite what was a banner 2017, CBB president Brad Rome said in a news release.

“What a great year for retained values,” said Rome. “That said, the feeling is that we are getting close to the turning point where values are going to begin to retreat. Market conditions, most notably the increase in supply in the U.S. and Canada, is expected to put downward pressure on prices moving forward.”

Specifically, starting this year and through “the next three or four years” there could be some scaling back in used-car values, Murphy said.

The extent to which used-car values “retreat” will be influenced by the general movement in the Canadian economy as well as the “relationship” between the U.S. and Canadian dollars.

Also driving CBB’s expectations for some softening is the projected off-lease supply hike, similar to what has been seen in the U.S., Murphy said.

He expects off-lease numbers to climb significantly in coming years.

From 2013 through 2017, there was an average of roughly 225,000 lease returns each year in Canada, Murphy said. However, the average for the 2019-2021 time frame is expected to be 400,000 lease returns annually.

And with the “math” on off-lease volumes for the U.S. expected to be similar proportionately (albeit on much larger numbers), U.S. prices could decrease, too, he said.

“And that kind of takes away the incentive to bring a car in from Canada if the U.S. prices are falling, as well,” Murphy said.

Supply recovery

In terms of supply, the Canadian used-car market is still in the early stages of the volume recovery, with that expected to ramp up late this year or early next year, Murphy said.

“It’s good news for consumers in terms of availability of product and for dealers’ availability of product,” he said.

However, “if you’re remarketing a car, you can expect that the proceeds you get at auction in the future won’t necessarily be as generous as you’ve got in the past, all things being equal,” Murphy said.

More insight next month

For more analysis from Murphy on the Canadian used-car market, be sure to catch his presentation at the , which is being held March 27 and March 28 at The Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.

Murphy’s will dissect the 10 most important elements of the used-car industry, touching on “what these elements mean today and for the future of wholesale vehicle values and forecasted residual values,” according to a description of his session.

Cox Automotive Canada’s financial services brand highlighted this portal will be available through NextGear Capital’s digital auction partners, including EBlock, TradeHelper and Otolane.

“Bringing together these three leading online auctions on a single funding portal is an industry-first in terms of offering our clients best in class mobile and digital technologies to aid in the vehicle purchasing process,” said Jerome Dwight, national vice president for Canada at NextGear Capital.

“Now clients will be able to view, bid and purchase vehicle inventory on any of these leading online auctions and seamlessly fund these purchases on their NextGear Capital credit accounts in a manner that is both convenient and secure,” Dwight continued.

Noting that many online wholesale purchasers in Canada cannot efficiently fund their transactions with a single integrated credit provider, NextGear Capital and its digital auction partners are working together to enable their clients to fully finance their vehicles instantly across multiple channels.

In addition to being a destination for current NextGear Capital clients, the company added that digital auction partner clients will benefit in many ways, including:

—Ease of use to purchase and finance inventory from leading digital auction providers in Canada

What has been a staple of its used-vehicle analysis in the United States is now coming to Canada.

As Black Book has compiled in the U.S., Canadian Black Book announced today the release of its first Used Vehicle Retention Index for Canada.

Editors highlighted the index will serve to offer what they called “unbiased and accurate” insights and statistics regarding the health of the used wholesale vehicle market in Canada. This inaugural edition covers the month of November.

“We’ve used this type of index data internally for many years, and are now packaging it up to provide Canada’s auto industry a free monthly resource to help monitor the ongoing vital signs of used vehicle pricing domestically,” said Brad Rome, president of Canadian Black Book.

“This information is impartial to any brand, and can help guide decision makers with accurate figures regarding the strength or weakness of used-vehicle prices,” Rome continued.

Just like in the U.S., the Canadian Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index is calculated using Canadian Black Book’s published wholesale average value on 2- to 6-year-old used vehicles, as a percent of original typically-equipped MSRP. Canadian Black Book’s wholesale average is a benchmark value for used vehicles selling in the wholesale auctions with the vehicle quality in average condition. The index is weighted based on used vehicle sales volume and adjusted for seasonality, vehicle age, mileage, condition, and inflation (MSRP).

Aggregated from daily vehicle value updates, and captured throughout thousands of wholesale vehicle transactions across the country, the Canadian Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index is designed to represent data across all regions of Canada.

“The index is based on a comprehensive list of vehicles included in the Canadian Black Book wholesale database, and includes no bias toward any brand, data source or region, ensuring an accurate report of the used-vehicle market,” the company said

The index will provide automotive industry professionals and watchers with insight regarding trends with comparisons year-over-year and month-over-month. From a more macroeconomic perspective, it will illustrate pricing performance since the index commenced with data from 2005.

“We are always being asked about the overall state of used vehicle value retention, which we are happy to answer. This new regularly published index will just make it easier and provide a more visual means to get those answers and see the direction of prices in Canada,” said Brian Murphy, vice president of research and editorial at Canadian Black Book.

This first index illustrates the effects of the “economic pain” of 2008-2009 in the index. This “pain” becomes even more visible after examining full-size trucks during that time as prices fell more than 15 percent nationally.

Late 2009 saw what editors dubbed as a false recovery of prices, followed by falling prices again. However since the middle of 2010, Canadian Black Book noted there has been a remarkable and steady growth in prices overall.

Today the index — — is currently at its highest level (102.4) since it was first calculated using 2005 data.

Editors determined the strongest segments are full-size luxury crossovers/SUVs, midsize crossovers and small pickup trucks. The segments with weakest performance are the near-luxury cars and subcompact cars, both perform considerably below the market average. Both however have strengthened in recent months.

A more detailed index at the more granular segment level will be made available for Canadian Black Book clients upon request.